Becky Wai-Ling Packard
Professor of Psychology and Education; Co-Director of the Harriet L. and Paul M. Weissman Center for Leadership
Education
- B.A., University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
- Ph.D., Michigan State University
Courses Taught
- Educational Psychology
- Seminar in Educational Psychology: Motivation
- StatisticsAssociate Professor of Psychology and Education
- Laboratory in Developmental Psychology
Interests
I am interested in mentoring and persistence, with a focus on women, racial-ethnic minorities, and first-generation college students in science and technical fields. My research focuses on the transition from high school to postsecondary education (including community colleges) and work and how mentoring relationships and an institution’s mentoring infrastructure can support student success. Community-based partnerships are central to my teaching, and I enjoy thinking about how to motivate ourselves and others.
Recent Publications
(* indicates Mount Holyoke College student/alumna)
Packard, B. W., Leach, M.*, Ruiz, Y.*, Nelson, C.*, & DiCocco, H.* (In press). School-to-work transitions of career and technical education graduates. Career Development Quarterly.
Packard, B. W., Gagnon, J. L.*, & Senas, A.* (In press). Avoiding unnecessary delays: Women and men navigating the community college transfer pathway in science, technical, engineering, and mathematics fields. Community College Journal of Research and Practice.
Packard, B. W., Gagnon, J. L.*, LaBelle, O.*, Jeffers, K.*, & Lynn, E. (2011). Women’s experiences in the STEM community college transfer pathway. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 17(2), 129–147.
Packard, B. W., Gagnon, J. L.*, & Moring-Parris, R.* (2010). Investing in the academic science preparation of CTE students: Challenges and possibilities. Career and Technical Education Research, 35(3), 137-156.
Packard, B. W., Kim, G. J.*, Sicley, M.*, & Piontkowski, S.* (2009). Composition matters: Multi-context informal mentoring networks for low-income urban adolescent girls pursuing healthcare careers. Mentoring & Tutoring, 17(2), 187 - 200.
Packard, B. W., & Babineau, M. E.* (2009). From drafter to engineer, doctor to nurse: An examination of career compromise as renegotiated by working class adults over time. Journal of Career Development, 35(3), 207-227.